Last Monday I attended the funeral service for Dan Oniroku at the Zojo-ji Buddhist temple in Tokyo along with an associate. I had never been to a Japanese funeral before and, of course, I wanted to pay my respects to Dan-sensei.

It was an extraordinary experience which I will tell you about shortly, but first I'd like to give you an update on the gift that I and 25 others from various countries sent to him.

Ever wonder how they shoot a high-budget bondage flick? This 40-plus minute documentary with Komukai Minako, star of Hana to Hebi 3, provides an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. Arisue Go can also be seen in several shots. He wasn't actually in the film this time around but was the chief on-set nawashi.

I can't seem to embed the video here but clicking on the above image will take you to the website where the video is hosted. Hopefully you'll have better luck but the sound was way out of sync when I watched.

This, of course, is very connected to the man who recently passed away, Dan Oniroku, as he was the author of the novel that inspired this series of films.

John Willie (real name John Alexander Scott Coutts) has been described as “the Rembrandt of pulp” and is still admired today for his artistry and his place in history as one of the pioneers of fetish art in the Western world.

Willie was married twice. His first marriage in England was short lived and ended in divorce. He moved to Australia and married again. His second wife was also one of his models.

Willie eventually left Australia and traveled to Montreal and then on to New York. His wife stayed behind. I haven't found any information which would lead me to believe he ever returned to Australia or that she ever left there, but they remained married.

Dan Oniroku (real name Kuroiwa Yukihiko) died in a Tokyo hospital Friday evening of esophageal cancer. He was 80.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Update 05/07:

The media are covering the passing of Dan Oniroku. These pics are from the "popular" press/sports papers.

Update 05/22:

I have changed Dan's age at the time of his passing from 79 to 80. Sources from Wikipedia to SMpedia to Master K agree that Dan was 80 when he died. The mainstream media all seem to be reporting that he was 79. There is a reason for this which I hope to go into in a future article. His correct date of birth seems to be April 16, 1931.

My little project of extending well wishes to Dan Oniroku on behalf of his non-Japanese admirers may finally be coming to fruition.

A long time ago I put out a call for well wishes for Dan sensei on sites such as Forum Bondage and FetLife. He was already on dialysis and then came the awful news of throat cancer. I wanted to put together something to show him how much he is admired and appreciated by folks outside of Japan.

If you would like to see a very interesting and graphic representation of what's been happening around here since March 11, go here. Be patient. It takes awhile for things to really get going.

Every aftershock focuses the mind. Breathing becomes shallow or simply dispensed with. The brain trashes every thought but one: harmless aftershock ... or hell on earth?

Even before March 11, I thought that living in Tokyo was like being on Death Row, just with better odds. Considering how long it takes to execute someone in Japan, I'm not so sure about that last part.

Given the size of this monster earthquake and the shaking that went on in the capital, it seems like a miracle that we in Tokyo have escaped largely unscathed.

All of the kinky people I know, or know of, seem to be okay. There has been some damage in the greater Tokyo region, and loss of life, but it doesn't seem to be getting much airtime due to the infinitely greater human disaster unfolding up north.

I won't give a detailed report here; there are plenty of news sources taking care of that. I will say that I, and many others, are not abandoning ship. Japan has been good to us. This is our home. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.

I recommend that people try to get their news from a variety of sources. If a report seems particularly alarmist, take it with a grain of salt. Look around a bit and see what others might be saying. If, for example, you read a report and the only people quoted are from the Union of Concerned Scientists, don't immediately reject it, but take it with a grain of salt. They have a big dog in this nuclear fight.

The same thing goes for government reports and those saying all is well.

Right now, and this is from someone knowledgeable about these things and with no agenda, my Mild Sevens are doing me in much more effectively than trace amounts of radiation in the air over Tokyo.

Context.

I would like to thank (in my own very small way) all the individuals and nations that have contributed to the relief effort.

While the situation with the nukes is ever-changing and seemingly subject to a broad spectrum of opinions, and, indeed, very worrisome, the plight of the people in remote areas affected by the quake and tsunami, is indisputable. Pray that they receive the assistance they need before it's too late.

Update: The Japanese people and, indeed, the people of the world, can be extremely proud of, and grateful for, the efforts of the brave men in Fukushima who are risking life and limb to try to tame the nuclear beast. What do you say to such men? Words seem inadequate. And so, I simply bow deeply in thanks and say a silent prayer for their safety. I hope one day I can do this in person.

Four people, two staff and two customers, were arrested March 3 at the SM bar in Roppongi known as Jail, or Roppongi Jail. Jail is a chain of three outlets with the other two located in Osaka and Nagoya, respectively. Roppongi Jail has been in business since 2001.

This was an undercover investigation with at least one news report stating that an officer had visited the club ten times. The reason for the arrests seems to boil down to alleged acts "against public decency". Another report said the violation was “indecent exposure”.

The sad fact is a lot of the classic films I report on here cannot even be found in Japan let alone outside Japan. This probably isn't common knowledge so it comes as little surprise when I am asked, as happened recently, how someone who is not in Japan can get his hands on these golden oldies.

The most recent query had to do with History of Japanese Torture Punishment (日本拷問刑罰史), the 1964 film produced by Shintoho which is considered to be the first full-fledged SM film in Japan.

As far as I know, this film does not exist any longer. Perhaps Shintoho have a copy in a vault somewhere. Or maybe a lone print is slowly deteriorating in someone's attic. To my knowledge, this movie has not been released on tape or DVD.